say but such n 1. Cor. 5.1 iniquitie as is not heard of no not among the Gentiles that one shoulde haue his Fathers wyfe Concerning which facte and reconciliation vppon repentaunce for the same the Apostle saieth els where o 2. Cor. 6.72 It is sufficient for the same man that hee was rebuked of manie so that nowe contrariwise you ought rather to forgiue him and to comfort him leaste the same shoulde be swallowed vppe with ouer much heauinesse wherefore I praye you that you would confirme your loue towardes hym In the holie scriptures or woorde of God we haue infinit store of examples Examples of Gods mercie and bee compassed about on euerie side as it were p Heb. 12.1 with a thick cloude of witnesses which both for their multitude and for their faithfulnesse are greater then al expectation and to whom for theÌ„selues and in whom for others God hath bene pleased plentifullie to declare as the riches of his mercie generallie so particularly that he q Deut. 7.9 2 Chron. 6.5 hath kept faith and trueth with them and will doe so for euer with al those that succeed them in faith and a Iame. 1.17 good conscience that so our hope and harte might relie vppon him alone with whom is no variablenesse neither shall neuer turne Let two verie woorthy and plaine one wherof is in the olde and the other in the newe Testament serue for all s Psal 32.5 Psal 1â— 3.3 Dauid from an vnfeigned heart acknowledgeth it and that more then once that the Lord in the multitude of his mercies forgaue both the punishment of his sinne and all his iniquitie whatsoeuer And Paule with a franke and free mouth openlie confesseth and that others might heare it and beleeue it saith t 1. Timoh 1.15 This is a faithfull saying and woorthy by all meanes to be receiued that Ieâ—us Chrâ—st came into the world to saue â—â—â—ers of whom I am chiefe And if wee respect their persons â—â—ey were men notwithstanding their â—â—â—â—s dearelie beloued of God the one taken t Psal 8 7â— by the Lord from the shâ—pâ—â—â—d and following the ewes with yong to â—eed his people in Iacob the other pulled from persecuting the church to preach to cary the Lords name among the gentilâ—s u Act. 9.15 If we consider the sins that they speak of we shall find them no lesse x 2. Sam â—1 than adulterie murther y 2 Sam 24. pride z â— Tâ—â— 1 1â— blasphemy persecutioÌ„ oppression suâ—dry such like If we regard the souâ—dnes sinceritie of their hearâ—s they speaking deliuering that as withouâ— a mind doubtlesse to deceiue otâ—eâ—s so without partialitie and respect as in regard of themselues and euen as they feâ—t Goâ—s fauour for themselues for others we cannot choose but beleeue it that we haue our part portion in it the rathâ—r because God hath geuen vs thâ—se and 〈◊〉 like holy examples to be as it wer seals set vnto the promises for the more strong establishing of the same in our hearts we perswading our selues that as we may and ought to profit by the presidents of gods a 1. Cor. 10.11 iudgement to work in vs vnfeigned feare reuerence of his maiesty and care of a better course theÌ„ euer we haue practised b Rom. 15.4 so we shal make vse of exaÌ„ples of his mercy to styr vs vp to make in vs a holy feeling of all spirituall coÌ„fort heauenly ioy And that the graces of Gods holy spirite Tâ—e â—â—â—ces of â—ods â—pirit which hee himselfe in Christ hath bin pleased plentifully to bestow vpon vs moâ—e particularly that our c Iude. 20. precious holy fa th together with the sâ—uâ—rall fruâ—ts efâ—â—cts that flow froÌ„ the samâ— shold pledge vnto vs this great fauour of God in the forgiuenes of our siâ—s thorow the death obedience of his sonne it â—s as cleare as the sunne in his glorie and brightnesse and that not onlie becaâ—se if that which is from sinne and from our selues may iustlie discourage vs and beat vs downe then that which proceedeth from God who is d greater than all and e onely good can not choose but being liuely felt and sensiblie perceiued but raise vs vp againe also because the scripture it self in terms that will admit no darke or doubtfull interpretation aduoucheth that God f 2 Cor 8.12 accepteth vs according to that wee haue and not according to that wee haue not For fayth wee haue amongst others that comfortablâ— promise of holie writte Oâ— Fayth g Habaâ— 2.4 Rom 1.17 The iust shall liue by faâ—th which cannot be vnderstood of life here as well because it speaketh of the tune to come as also because as in respect of breaâ—â— and being in this world the wicked haue â—t as well as the godly and we knowe that it was the Lords purpose by his spâ—râ—â— in that speach to discerne betweene h Ezâ—ch 22.26 the pretious and the vile If we well consider Vnfained lâ—ue either the loue that God hath wrought in our heartes towards his saintes or the vâ—â—â—ygned mind that thorow his great goodnes we find in our selues to forget and forgeue other mens trespasses wee shall finde that to the one the other may giue vs firme hope assured comfort of the forgiuenes of our own sins the holy ghost affirming of the former that by this we i 1. Iohn 3.14 know wee are translated from death vnto life because we loue the brethren for the other our sauiour himselfe not only teaching vs to say k Math. 6.12 forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespas against vs but also declaring in plain tearmes that except wee forgiue from our heartes each one to his brother his trespasses l Math. 18 3i ther is no forgiuenes of ours before God declaring withal that wher that is the other cannot bee wanting because God is not onelye much more readye but infinitely much more able to shewe sinners that notable fauour then men are so manifest it one to another Wherein it shall not bee amisse for vs to marke this further Of merits that howsoeuer all the good things we are enabled to no cannot as they come froÌ„ vs nor yet of theÌ„selues in that respect merâ—te Gods mercie because m Esay 64.6 al our righteousnesses are as filthie and stained cloutes before him n Luke 17.10 when we haue done al that we can wee are yet vnprofitable seruants much lesse any one of theÌ„ seperated from the rest the weaknes whereof arising not from the good things themselues in their owne nature as they come from God for so they are and must be verie strong exceeding good but by reason of our corruption the imperfection the thorow the same cleaueth therto yet all of them together and euery one of them selues may bee
any but of all not men alone but fathers and mothers in the worlde though lincked neuer so straitly vnto vs is no maner of way matchable nor so much as meete to be thought or spoken of with it at the selfe same time Obiection answered by example Your troubles in the soule and youâ— dangers that way cannot seeme in any equall or vpright iudgment to be more greeuous or further past recouery than q Ionas 2.2 c. Ionas his were when he was in the Whales belly and yet the Lord commaunded that great fish to deliuer him vp againe whose absolute authoritie he coulde not withstand but as a man that hath his stomacke surcharged vomited him out And is Gods r Esay 59.1 hand streitened now or his power shortned Å¿ Psal 77.8.9 or his mercy abated that he can not or will not performe as much for you Or rather doth not God worke then moste mightily and mercifully both when in mens eyes the way is stopped vp not onely agaynst a deed but against hope or hart to conceiue it To what ende tend these comfortable promises both of the olde and the new testament t Isay 42.16 I will bring the blinde by a waie that they knowe not and lead them by pathes that they haue not knowne I will make darknesse light before them and crooked thinges streight these thinges will I doe vnto them and not forsake theÌ„ and againe v Math. 16.18 the gates of hell shall not preuaile against you but to confirme vs more and more A singular comfort farre beyond expectation in the vnchangeablenesse and certaintie of hys goodnesse towardes vs and to let vs vnderstand though there bee infinite barres and lets betweene him and vs so that his mercy cannot seeme to haue anie passage vnto vs that yet hee will breake them all to peeces and ouerthrowe x 2. Cor. 10.5 euerie high thing that so we may plainly perceiue and effectually comfortablie feele the incomprehensible treasure of his fauour towardes vs If this be not comfortable I know not what is in which poynt of special consolation The cause mouing to write more largely of this poynt I write nowe both the more willingly and largely vnto you because I perceiue by your last though long since sent vnto me vnto which also I then shaped a short aunswere supposing because I heard not from you that that had satisfied you and by some report of sundrie that loue vs both in the Lord to which for the further stirring of me vp thereto I adde the dayly thoughts and feares of mine own hart concerning your case that you haue not onely bene terrible shaken for the time but y and 12.7 sore buffeted and that not with some one meane temptation but with many great and grieuous assaultes the consideration whereof raised vp such a thicke mist before your vnderstanding whilest you dwelt too much and ouerlong in the minding thereof and in the beholding of your owne both vnworthinesse and weakenesse that as the comfortable sight of Gods grace and goodnes towards you in Iesus Christ seemed for the time to be vanished from before you yea altogether lost so you thought in your selfe and would haue perswaded others that you were vtterly condemned and cast away But be not anie whit at all dismaied A reason or meane to respect this temtation with the violence and rage of this tempest but rather comfort your selfe yea assure your selfe of this that Sathan dealeth herein no otherwise with you A similitude than a cruel and bloud-thirstie captaine besieging aninuincible and irrepugnable hold who at the first beginneth temperately and coldly as you would say as well for the sparing of his owne forces and charge as to gaine some little credite with those that are beset but when he seeth that preuayleth not hee dooth by little and little increase the fiercenesse of his batterie and the bitternesse of his assault but not gayning that way neyther he putteth it al at once vpon the last pushe wherein hauing taken the foyle hee is glad also to betake himselfe to a shamefull flight And what though the cannons roare yea the double cannons thunder in such sorte that they make heauen and earth to shake as it were and would seeme to iumble them altogether yet in trueth they are nothing els but sure pledges of the wasting and wearing of your aduersaries forces and dishonourable running awaie on the one side and moste comfortable messengers on the other side of your happie and ioyfull deliuerance approching and euen at the dores which as it plainely appeareth by this A similitude that euen as a little before day breake the darkenesse is greatest and then afterwardes commeth moste comfortable light steppe by steppe and degree by degree the Sunne with his brightnesse and heate chasing away all those thicke mistes and strong smelling fogs so may we be certainly assured of it by the manifold examples of the word and particularly of him that was possessed z Mar. 9.25.26 with a dumbe and deafe deuil out of whome when our sauiour charged him to come and to enter no more into him he cried and rent him sore and left him for dead taking as we say his peâ—worthes then vppon him because he knewe that as his time was but short so hee should neuer after molest or vexe him For your sinnes which you complaine of Accusation of conscience for the sight and giltinesse of sinne I suppose verely that they are more in your owne iudgement than in the sight of all the worlde beside before whom notwithstanding your hard accusing of your self you haue through Gods goodnesse liued an vpright and vnblamable life and that not onely in the testimonie of them that feare God but in the witnesse also of them that a 1. Tim 3.7 are without which ought notwithstanding the greatnesse of your assault in your selfe to yeeld you no small comfort that in the viewe not onely of those that can iudge rightly such as Gods children are who haue their eyes inlightened by the knowledge of his trueth you haue caried your selfe christianly and yet if you had failed would in the b Prou. 10.12 1. Pet. 4. â— multitude of loue according to their duetie haue couered a multitude of transgressions but in the iudgement of those that are led with prying and malicious eyes who manie times obserue in Gods seruantes more than they should Of the accusation of a tender conscience or iustly can and the rather for their profession and troubles sake haue lead a harmelesse and irreproueable conuersation But let vs graunt that your owne heart accuseth you much What then Accusation implieth not conuictioÌ„ much lesse condemnation speciallie in such a height as we imagine And yet withall giue me â—eaue to councell you not to beleeue it further then it bringeth the euidence of truth with it The wicked haue no profitable feeling of
their sins This I am sure you cannot be ignorant of that as the wicked want with profite continuance that sting of hart with profit I say because though they haue it it doth theÌ„ no good and with continuance because it is but as a flashe of lightning in them raysed vp for their greater iudgement as soone vanishing as it doth appeare so the godly looking too much vppon themselues The feeling of the godly and their sinnes and secluding both from sight and sense the viewe and memorie of Gods mercies lay to hard and heauie burthens vppon their owne soules Me thinketh this rather woulde be stood vppon that sith euen from that that woundeth them most I meane the continuall charging and accusing of themselues men that haue their minds inlightned from God may reape singular consolations they should labour euen from thence to gather strong comfortes vnto themselues against their temptations which they may doe by this holy consideration that the heart wounded with the dailie sight and sense of sinne that is past is pushed forward thereby to speedy and vnfeigned repentance God to that end setting the same before them that so in the lothsomnesse thereof they might make haste vnto him which otherwise as in the want thereof it could not so much as thinke vpon much lesse performe is strengthned also against sinne that is to come because hardly haue anie bene found to fall into that which they haue with vpright and dayly iudgement misliked in themselues principally and in others secondarily the fear of the former causing them to keepe a good watche ouer themselues in the latter and is prouoked in and by themselues tenderly to pitie earnestly to pray for such whose state that waie foorth they knowe and feel by experience in themselues to be as lamentable and as much to be regarded as their owne All which bringing with them the glory of God their own benefite and other mens good that euen in the least thinges cannot but yeeld them comfort that seriously thinke thereupon vnlesse they will deeme Gods honour light or their owne comfort base or the loue of the faâ—thfull and their welfare a meane yea a vilde thing But we will put the case that your sinnes were as huge and as high as your selfe take them to be yea let vs imagine that they had spread theÌ„selues throughout both heauen and earth and did reach from the one end of the world to the other yet who can will or dare denie but that as God himselfe so his mercies towardes vs in Iesus Christ c Co. 3.20 The mercy of God in this life chiefly appeareth in the forgiuenesse of sinne ouer reacheth them euery way and the rather sith his meanes are no waie in this life more euidently manifested than in the forgiuenesse of the sinnes of his seruantes Concerning which trueth we may and ought to be certainly perswaded not onely by reason A reason taken of Gods nature which is infinite taken from the infinitnesse of Gods owne nature who beeing infinite himselfe can haue nothing in him but that which is infinite and therefore his mercie beeing in him must also be infinite with whom howsoeuer our sins be in numerable as in respect of our selues d Psal 19.12 for who vnderstandeth his iniquitie or is able to account his transgressions yet they are finite and certaine as in regard of himselfe that e 147.4 counteth the number of the stars and calleth them all by their names but also from the large and moste faithfull promises Of Gods promises that in euerie place almost of his word for the vnderpropping of our weake fayth hee hath plainly and plentifully propounded vnto vs amongest which euen these most sweete sayinges seeme not of the least reckoning f 103.12 As farre as the East is from the West so farre hath hee remoued our sinnes from vs. Againe in another place g Isa 1.18 Though our sinnes were as Crimsin they shal be made white as Snow though they were red as Skarlet they shall be as wooll And again h Rom. 5.20 Where sinne hath abounded there grace hath more than abounded with sundrie suche like with which I knowe you are acquainted as hauing laid them vp in your heart for the peace of the same and hauing expressed them with your mouth for the testification of your ioy Hitherto I haue laboured neither vnsoundly as in regard of Gods trueth propounded nor vnprofitably as in respect of you afflicted nor vndutifully as inconsideration of my selfe trauailing generally to deliuer generall comfortes against generall transgressions Now it remaineth that I come to applie particular consolations as if it were speciall medicines and plaisters to those peculiar offences griefes that you saie are in your selfe and it hath pleased you to acquaint me withall to this end as I take it verily that of my poore store and penurie indeede you might yet receiue some spirituall reliefe and comfort What measure of mercie I haue receiued that way hee that hath bene pleased freely to giue the same vnto me best knoweth Howbeit howe small or great soeuer it be this doth not a little incourage me to a liberall vse of the same that I knowe certainly I shall not decrease mine owne by that I bestow vpon others but rather increase the same much it seruing me as the widdowes i 2 King 4 2. c. pitcher of oyle did in the dayes of Elisha being miraculously increased not onely to inable me in some sort to pay my debts though it be but fiue shillinges in the pound as we saie but the rest being sufficient for my selfe and my children to liue vpon But to those thinges which you obiect against your selfe and to that first which you first put downe Obiections answered You saie you are greatly troubled with manifold feares much doubting I beleeue it to be true And who would not be of that minde if they considered you but as a man howe much more then if they behold you as a godly man in whom such things are better seen because naturall blindnesse is somewhat remoued and more felt because hardnesse of hart and benummednesse is in some measure taken away yea I am so farre of from thinking these thinges to be discomfortable to you though as feare doubting are in you I cannot approoue them because they are in vs tainted thorow the corruption of nature that froÌ„ the same as I take it you may reape and receiue singular consolation not onely in this respect that they bring forth in you good and gracious effects of hartie praier to almightie God carefull watching ouer your selfe tender pitie and compassion towards others c. and all these in a greater measure than you feel wil confesse yet herein me thinketh you should do wel to giue glory to God and according to grace receiued yeeld his children a notable portion of comfort but whilest you are herein become
of those whome God hath marked out to eternall life Wherein I would first haue you to know and perswade your heart of this that as the miseries of the reprobate The reprobate cannot truely conceiue much lesse feele their condemnation and their condemnation also is more I will not say than is well felt for feeling they haue little or none but well conceiued their harts not beeing fit to thinke either of their sinne or iudgement due vnto them for the same so many times the fauour of God is certaynly muche more towardes and in his seruantes than eyther they themselues or others for them can well perceiue For as it is most true that naturall blindnesse and benummednesse of heart with a sensual delight the wicked take in sinne pursuing all maner of iniquitie with pleasure wil not suffer theÌ„ to see their damnable estate at the least wise to dwell vpon the contemplation of it with fruite because thorowe impenitencie of heart they bee r 2. Tim. 2.26 held captiues of Satan at his pleasure so it is as certaine that by reason of the remaynders of a darke minde which resteth euen in the godly as yet in parte vnreformed they be sometimes as farre off from conceiuing spirituall fauours from God And no marueile because beeing spirituall things they must be s 1. Cor. 2.14 spiritually discerued and we knowe that as other graces so that of a discâ—â—â—ing spirite is not onely in vs in part but maâ—â—e times seemeth to be quenched in vs and hidden from others thorowe the ashes of our corruption And what reason can be shewed to the contrarie but that if want of sight and feeling in the wicked can for the time though not for euer put out feare and paâ—ne and all sense of the same but also that the reliques of sinne in the righteous and the sight they haue of it and the â—eare and griefe of heart that they conceiue for it should for the time though not alwaies bleare and deface the hope and the ioy that God would haâ—â— them to conceiue Satan also in his makeâ— working no doubt in all these tempâ—ations of the wicked and the godly that â—o he might if he coulde tâ—â—l how preuaile vpon all both good and bad By which you may well perceiue that in this most high What the godly in such a case ought to doe yet moste comfortable point you are to goe beyond your owne reache and feeling yea to depart from your selfe who by reason sometimes of blindnesse and soâ—etimes of partialitie are vnfit to bee a iudge in thâ—s cause that so being spoiled oâ— trust and donfidence in your selâ—e oâ— in the t Iere. 17.5 arme of flesh and bloud â—ls where you may repaire vnto him thâ—â— alone is the God of all strength both ouâ—ward and inward and who will indeede for you and all his effect that which shal be most meete for his glorie and your eternall comforts And this is the second thing that I would pray you well to weigh namely that as according to the trueth of the holie scriptures God hath pleased thorowe the infinite multâ—tude of his mercies in Iesus Christ to elect you to liâ—e euerlasting t Ephâ—s 1 4 before the foundaâ—ions of the world were laid so hath he in time plainly manifested vnto you and by you vnto others that his great grace of your eternall etettion first in vouchsafing you though vnworthie of your selfe yet for Christ Iesus his sake thorowe the ministerie of his holy worde and by the powerfull working of his blessed spirite an effectual calling so that he t Act. 13.48 16.14 no sooner spake vnto you but withal pearsed your eares and boared your heart to vnderstand and beleeue he working in you also this readinesse with vnfeigned affection to saie v 1. Sam 3.10 speake Lord for thy seruant heareth God dealing with you heerein for your soule The spirituall meanes of Gods mercie as hee hath done alwaies with you for your body that is bestowing vppon you the spirituall meanes of his mercie and making them mightie in you to worke his will not vnto iudgement as in the wicked but to eternall saluation as in his saintes and seruantes And this I take to be that which the Apostle saith Roman 8. x Rom. 8.30 Whom he predestinate them also he called Secondly by giuing you care and conscience to adorne these excellent graces of his eternall election from before all times and effectuall vocation in time with the fruites of faith and the deedes of blessed obedience and that both in the seruices of pietie towards his maiestie The duties of pietie you hauing a minde to be often and earnest with him in prayer and thankesgiuing adioyning thereto for your better direction therein dayly reading of the word deepe meditation and christian confeference therein and also in the duties of charitie towardes men Of charitie you not onely not deteming from anie that which belongeth vnto them but rendring vnto euerie one that which is right equall and specially hauing care of the coÌ„munion of saints y Rom. 12.15 vveeping there with them that weep and reioycing with theÌ„ that teioyce And this is that that the Apostle saith in another place that z Ephes 1.4 God hath chosen vs in Christ that we should be holy without blame before him in loue And againe a 2. Tim 2.19 The strong foundatioÌ„ of God remaineth sure hath this seal the lord knoweth who are his let euery one that calleth on the name of Christ depart from iniquitie In which respect also it is that Peter admonisheth vs b peter 1.10 Why these duties are propounded to vs in the word to giue diligence to make our calling and election sure by good vvorkes Not that eyther the one or the other either as in respect of God are vncertaine c Rom. 11.29 for his giftes and calling are such as he repent him not thereof are vnsure as in regard of our selues because we haue fouÌ„d thorow his goodnesse in vs though not that that wee should yet a minde bowable and ready to harken vnto to loue and obey the fatherly voyce and calling of our gracious God But therefore are these thinges propounded vnto vs in the word on the one side to stop the mouthes of carelesse blasphemers who in the vaine imagination of their owne heartes feare not to affirme that if they he elected they may liue as they list and on the other side to lift vp the weakned spirites of many of Gods deare seruantes who finding eyther the faith of their election or the fruites following the same fewe and skant in them beginne to call their election into question wherein ouer and besides the discomfortes and discouragementes that causelesly they cast vpon themselues they doe great iniurie to God whilest they make him that is certaine in his purposes and acts to be d Num. 23.29 Isa 51.8 Iâ—a